The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1887-10-06
HUNTING THE DEER

> "nu III ouo respcCb emlOeDtly sue
cessful. While I have never killed
} or shot deer, and never cared TO
yet in the sport Of the chase I hav,
perhaps had my foil share. wa,
always with the driver, aud frequent,
ly was that important personag,
, myself. had no taste for being ,
stander, to be placed AWAY in ad.
vance, ont Of hearing and almost
out OF hope, and when there was on
ly one chance of maybe a dozen tc
sec or hear anything of the huut.
While thus situated the anxiety and
suspense 10 intolerable, but with the
driver and tho dogs all is animation,
and the anxiety, though great, il
sxhilarating in tho extreme.
First the cold-trailers OF tho pack
are seen shifting at the bushes, and
then they occasionally open where
tho scent is little freshcr, aud es
they advance it grows warmer aud
the voice of the indefatigable hound
is heard more frequently and with
more confidence, and soon the whole
pack, with scent less acute than
their leaders, begin to open on the
trail with animation, tho lung power
of the driver is stm, ted, and the
bills begin TO resouud and echo
Lack the commingled voices Of doge
and men. Every moment tho scent
gets stronger and the intercst more
intense in the momenLary expccta-
talion that the antlered denizor Of
the hills will spring to his feet
This generally happens when tho
dogs ale close at hand, and some,
times tho driver 10 near enough 10
get shot. When an old buck with
n full bead of antlers springs FROM
his bed before the hounds and raise.
his head in proud defiance as be
sweeps his fiery glance on his pur-
suers, with tail lifted on high for the
chase like waving plume, be is the
most majestic figure that hunters
eyo ever rested on. With graceful
spring the noble fellow hounds away
and the chase begins, and the ex-
hilarating effect becomes uncontroll.
able to men 6ogs aud Sorses, an3
none eeems to enjoy it moro than
the buck himself, who conscious Of
bis own swiftness and powers of on>
durance, has little fear Of harm, and
necd bave none but for tho fact that
the willy hunter, knowing bis charnc.
teristics, nmbushes him at the Glands,
through some OF which it is reason
nbly supposed that ho will pass, and
he is thus sometimes slain. But the
writer always felt sense ef relief
when he escaped unharmed from
these 'bUslwGckers' Of the chase.
If the reader never had this ex-
perience then he ought not to i'm.
ngine anything about it, as he cam
not do tho subject justice.
When an old stag has run for an
hour or two and got warmed up and
desires to free himself from bis pur-
suers he turns his course to the wa
ter, if there be any within reach Of
his domains, and | havo thought
when an old buck, not too heavy,
starts for the water that he could |
outfoot any living animal, with the
exception, probably, of the trained |
racehorse or the greyhound, for
short distances, and in his native
wilds, among the timber aud bushes,
be would far outstrip these. Bnt for
speed and endurance the deer has
no equal, in my opinion unless it be
some OF its kindred species.
The habits of these animals even
in the chase vary according to cir,
cumstances o female deer, or doe,
that has fawn not largo enough to
make his escape, will hide it as Il dos ,
mestic COW will hide her calf, aud |
she will run clear away from The
place to lead the dogs and hunters
away from her young. A stink or
yearling deer will run ep aud down
and over the hills in very contrary
and to the hunter Il very disgusting
manner, and the hunter always
knows when he is after q stink. Old
deer, however, will follow tho ridges
or long stretches, aud if it be buck
with full head OF antlers he will
seek as far as possible the open
woods, aud if they have boen burned
over it is still the better for him to
entangle his horns and as his scent
is more rank, probably he wishes to